2012 Recipients

Photos from the Civic Engagement Awards

On Monday, October 1, 2012, at the National Press Club, several academic partners were recognized at our annual Academic Affairs and Higher Education Civic Engagement Awards Luncheon.

 

 

View photos of the Civic Engagement/Academic Awards Luncheon [36]

 

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California State University, San Bernardino

A public, Hispanic-Serving Institution, California State University San Bernardino [38] (CSUSB) demonstrates a strong commitment to welcoming, serving, and engaging veterans. The university connects its student population with opportunities to support men and women returning from military service while also supplying outlets for student veterans to continue making contributions to their communities. CSUSB provides leadership in adaptive sports through a DisAbility Sports Festival, which gives athletes with disabilities (including veterans) the chance to learn about and participate in a wide range of events. Students are among the athletes and volunteers for this annual event. Kinesiology and nursing students assist with a Veterans’ All Star Swim Program, another initiative that addresses the fitness needs of local veterans and assists them in regaining strength and stamina following injury. CSUSB also is committed to helping student veterans translate their military work experience to the civilian workforce. The university has developed and funded a service-learning internship program with a variety of schools, hospitals, nonprofits, and government agencies; it is institutionalizing this program despite the challenging economic environment that it faces. A partnership between the CSUSB Student Veterans Organization and the San Bernardino Disabled Americans Veterans Chapter 12, along with assistance from the Home Depot Foundation, led to the creation of the Veterans Exploration garden, which provides support to veterans in recovery and self-discovery. G.I. Jobs magazine has named CSUSB a Military Friendly School—a distinction honoring the top 15 percent of over 7,000 of institutions surveyed nationwide.

 

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Columbia College

A private, liberal arts, women’s college with selected coeducational programs, Columbia College in South Carolina [40] uses service learning to attend to the needs of its local community. The college has designed a signature program, embedded in service-learning courses and a required Junior Seminar, to address the problem of diabetes—a leading cause of death in Richland County. Now funded by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the program aims to improve residents’ dietary choices, promote healthy lifestyles, and provide more frequent health screenings. Among the low-income population, Columbia College and its partners identified widespread distrust of nurses, clinics, and doctors in the region. They found that partnering with local faith-based organizations helped overcome this barrier. The Benefit Bank, one notable initiative, alerts residents to unclaimed resources, including federal funds and low-cost health plans, for which they qualify. Square Foot Gardens educates children and their families about growing and utilizing fresh produce in a cost-effective way, while crockpot workshops inform residents about healthy cooking options. Hamilton Beach donated crockpots for the program and a cookbook was developed with easy recipes, nutritional information, and estimated costs. Columbia College has worked with community partners to encourage walking, mapping routes by distance that start and end at faith-based organizations, as well as gathering groups that are led by walking captains. Students who have been certified offer free health screenings, provide training on reading cholesterol and blood glucose numbers, and help participants to monitor their own progress.

 

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Roosevelt University

A private, comprehensive university with campuses in downtown Chicago and northwest suburban Schaumburg, Roosevelt University [42] was founded in 1945 on the principles of inclusion and social justice. Its Mansfield Institute coordinates civic engagement on campus by promoting service learning, sponsoring the scholar-activist research fellowship program, and facilitating social action through programmatic and policy work. Service learning is incorporated throughout all of Roosevelt University’s six colleges. Students use problem-based learning in the classroom and service learning to address a wide array of social challenges, including urban education, environmental toxins, immigration, homeless youth, literacy and domestic violence. The Mansfield Institute also engages undergraduates in applied research under faculty direction, investigating inequalities in education, employment, and the criminal justice system that perpetuates a “cradle to prison pipeline.” Data collected through this research help neighborhood organizations obtain grant funding, validate their work in the community, and improve their services. Roosevelt University has partnered with Morrill Elementary School to implement restorative justice practices that promote greater communication, support and respect. Undergraduates have facilitated conflict resolution sessions that address disciplinary issues without immediately suspending or expelling students. Roosevelt was also responsible for coordinating a discussion with parents, students, security, and community representatives to discuss strategies to address violence after the recent shooting of a first-grade student.

 

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Tulane University

A private, research university in New Orleans, LA, Tulane University [44] integrated required public service into its core curriculum for undergraduates in 2006. Its Center for Public Service (CPS) oversees the process of incorporating service-learning pedagogy and community-based research into the academic curriculum. Every academic department offers at least two service-learning courses that have been approved by faculty serving on the CPS Executive Committee. Through training seminars, workshops, and one-on-one course coordination, CPS staff members support professors in the design and implementation of their courses. CPS further supports faculty with special funding, including Community-Based Participatory Research Grants that give partner organizations co-ownership over a specific research issue with a Tulane faculty member. Tulane University has forged partnerships with hundreds of local organizations, hosting a number of workshops, seminars, and events to engage the university in dialogue about pressing issues and best practices in nonprofit management. CPS facilitates public service internships and connects students with direct service and leadership development opportunities. The University’s For the Children and Upward Bound programs run by CPS, for example, provide PK-12 tutoring and college preparation resources for first-generation and low-income college candidates from local high schools. Studies that the university commissioned to formally assess the impact of its public service graduation requirement have shown that service learning benefits extend beyond students’ personal development to their academic development. Students have reported that their service experiences have a positive impact on their understanding of course concepts, time devoted to studying, and persistence in college.

 

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University of San Francisco

A Catholic Jesuit institution in Northern California, the University of San Francisco [46] (USF) has a longstanding history of service to the local community and the world. USF was one of the first universities is the nation to implement a service-learning graduation requirement, and facilitates a wide variety of sustained community-based learning projects. Through its Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, USF integrates classroom learning with direct experience addressing such issues as homelessness and housing policy, health-related issues among the poor, and environmental justice. The Center for Child and Family Development operates a school-based family counseling program in public and Catholic schools in the Bay Area, serving at-risk children in low-income neighborhoods. The Architecture and Community Design Outreach Program’s (ARCD) Bridgeview Teaching and Learning Garden in one of the poorest neighborhoods of San Francisco. This garden is an initiative advanced by USF faculty and students, as well as local residents, and has been recognized as a model project. Likewise, ARCD faculty and students have traveled to Zambia to construct a library that improves orphaned children’s literacy and language skills, developed an urban plan for an impoverished area of Mexico, and constructed a community center for a rural farming village in Nicaragua. USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. has personally led international immersion experiences for the trustees and leadership team, and in summer 2012 directed a week-long trip to California’s Central Valley to explore the plight of Latino and Asian migrant workers, many of whom are underserved, unprotected by labor laws, and undocumented.

2011 Recipients

Photos from the Civic Engagement Awards

On Monday, October 3, 2011, at the National Press Club, six universities were awarded the distinction of the Higher Education Civic Engagement Awards.

 

 

View photos of the Civic Engagement/Academic Awards Luncheon [77]

 

 

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Augsburg College

A private, four-year college in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg College educates students for democracy through civic work and service to their neighbors [78]. On the day before the fall semester begins, undergraduate students, faculty, and staff participate in service projects in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. Many continue these relationships through the remainder of their academic careers. In the Bonner Leader program, students address policy issues such as affordable housing and financial literacy through work with community partners. The Campus Kitchen program, which served more than 23,000 meals last year, provides additional opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to volunteer in the community. President Paul Pribbenow chairs a partnership that unites community organizations and other area institutions to promote investment in the neighborhood. Both students and staff use the Public Achievement model, which empowers individuals to solve problems, in working with middle school students and to change organizational culture.

 

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Benedict College

A historically black institution in Columbia, SC, Benedict College has developed a noteworthy Service-Learning and Leadership Development Program [79]. Benedict historically has woven service learning into its curriculum, and the College adopted a graduation requirement to ensure widespread participation in service activities in 1995. Among other national and international initiatives, Benedict seeks to address the many challenges associated with widespread poverty in local Richland County, particularly the issue of low academic achievement among primary school children. Key projects include an after-school enrichment program run by honors students, the Halloween event “Kids Scared Straight” for community children unable to trick-or-treat, and a competition that exposes school children to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students from all disciplines find their own ways to contribute, as business majors prepare tax returns for low-income families, social work majors assist nonprofits in providing services to abused women, and physical education students assess the safety of playground equipment. Service-Learning and Leadership Development Program staff members organize a biannual meeting and orientation for community partners, a Service-Learning Expo, and an institution-wide annual day of service, along with other events.

 

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DePaul University

The largest Catholic higher education institution in the United States, DePaul University has campuses in Chicago and several suburban locations. Civic engagement is a central focus of undergraduate and graduate programs at DePaul, as students, faculty and staff take advantage of the institution’s urban location to assist underserved populations. The Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning [80] facilitates collaboration between faculty and partner organizations, supports scholarships based upon service and internships, manages a fellowship for faculty involving locally beneficial research and houses a minor in Community Service Studies.  The Vincentian Community Service Office at University Ministry coordinates student organizations that serve community partners addressing issues that range from animal rights to homelessness. These local efforts are complemented by winter and spring break immersion trips and service days for the DePaul community. The Monsignor John J. Egan Urban Center seeks to build capacity at the grassroots level within community organizations. It has undertaken projects in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools, seeks to build bridges between members of the African-American and Latino communities in the city, and administers a Community Engagement Certificate program that prepares non-profit and public sector employees to work with the populations they serve.

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Duke University

A private research institution in Durham, NC, Duke University launched a large-scale service-based program called DukeEngage [81] in 2007. Approximately 425 undergraduates take part in the program each summer, engaging in communities around the world to address local challenges. DukeEngage fully funds participants and ensures that students receiving need-based financial aid are able to take advantage of the program. DukeEngage has sustained partnerships with communities across the United States, as well as in more than 50 nations spanning five continents.  To date, more than 1,400 students have taken part.  In many cases, students are led or mentored by Duke faculty and staff members who have expertise related to the region or problem confronted. Students have repaired medical equipment, served refugee communities, developed social entrepreneurship opportunities, and tackled environmental challenges. All participants benefit from pre-departure training to orient them to the cultures they will encounter and the unique issues they will face in contributing to various communities. Post-experience, DukeEngage organizes civic engagement-themed events, provides reflection opportunities, connects students to related academic resources, and encourages students to maintain relationships with community partners.

 

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Florida Gulf Coast University

A public institution in Fort Myers, Florida Gulf Coast University has stressed the importance of civic engagement and service learning since its doors opened in 1997. It immediately established an Office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement [82] and instituted a service requirement that each student must complete in order to graduate. FGCU’s University Colloquium, which introduces students to service learning and incorporates the institution’s environmental focus, is part of the curriculum for every student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. Through this course, students have organized campus and community clean-ups, assisted local non-profits, and encouraged efforts to address climate change. Service learning is also integrated into the curriculum for the College of Arts and Sciences through a course entitled “Foundations of Civic Engagement,” while the Honors Program has a comprehensive training program focused on volunteerism, team-based service, and social entrepreneurship.  After the freshman year, FGCU offers service labs, which are courses designed to help a group of students complete a major service project. One such lab, “Cities of Refuge,” has raised awareness about censorship and freedom of speech and now plans to sponsor an exiled writer.

 

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San Francisco State University

A very racially and ethnically diverse campus, San Francisco State University (SF State) has long been a strong producer of Peace Corps volunteers. It has also taken a leading role in addressing asthma, a common cause of children’s hospitalization and missed school days, and has worked to inspire public school students to attend college. This public institution’s Office of Community Service Learning [83], which helps to coordinate and assess civic engagement initiatives, has been embraced by faculty in a wide range of colleges, departments, and courses. SF State instructors, staff and students have contributed to job-readiness programs, neighborhood service centers, English language classes for immigrants, and many other initiatives. SF State has recently revised its graduation requirements to emphasize “Social Justice, Civic Knowledge, and Engagement” as an essential field of study. In partnership with the city and county of San Francisco, as well as other area institutions, SF State has also developed the NEN University (NENu) network, which will help to link college and university partners with neighborhood stakeholders and organizations. One project involved the design and development of an online volunteer database that is accessed by all institutions.

2010 Recipients

Photos from the Civic Engagement Awards

On Monday, October 4, 2010, at the National Press Club, we honored our academic partners for their many contributions to students’ learning experiences and recognized six institutions for their civic engagement efforts at our annual Academic Affairs and Higher Education Civic Engagement Awards Luncheon.

 

 

View photos of the Civic Engagement/Academic Awards Luncheon [114]

 

 

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Miami Dade CollegeServing a multicultural population at 8 different campuses in South Florida, Miami Dade College (MDC) is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the country—and the first community college to be presented with this award. MDC's Center for Community Involvement (CCI) coordinates civic engagement on campus, encouraging partnerships with local agencies and working with faculty and staff to ensure that service-learning is widely incorporated into the curriculum. Specific initiatives with which the institution is involved include operation of a clinic at the Miami Rescue Mission Homeless Shelter, preparation of tax returns for low-income members of the community, organization of an organic food co-op, registration of voters and provision of tutors for elementary school children, among others. The CCI oversees a number of innovative efforts, including bi-annual community partner workshops, a service-learning student ambassador program, and a web-based tracking system to document student service and match agencies with volunteers. Despite limited financial resources, MDC has reserved significant internal funding for civic engagement efforts and infrastructure. Its president, Eduardo Padrón, has provided leadership for several national initiatives-including America Reads and Campus Compact-and has challenged the institution to live up to its reputation as "democracy's college."

 

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Indiana University – Purdue University IndianapolisAn urban public research university, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has long emphasized civic engagement in its mission and vision and more recently introduced structural changes to support community involvement. The Center for Service and Learning Research Collaborative (CSLRC), an IUPUI Signature Center, was designed to integrate the Offices of Service Learning, Community Service and Neighborhood Resources. It now coordinates service learning, facilitates co-curricular service as well as campus-wide service events and strengthens partnerships between IUPUI and local neighborhoods. Faculty development, promotion, tenure and recognition are closely aligned with civic engagement; for example, professors may be appointed as “Public Scholars” and this title is used alongside their primary title. Student financial assistance—including Federal Work Study funds and institutional scholarships—is often connected to community service. In addition to serving and providing facilities and resources—from cultural and library services to leadership in education and business development—for the Indianapolis area, IUPUI has built strategic partnerships internationally. These include relationships with universities in Kenya, and Mexico focused on increasing access to health and dental services.

 

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Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara University, a Catholic, Jesuit institution situated in California's Silicon Valley, is committed to cultivating "competence, conscience and compassion" within each graduate.  In 2009 Santa Clara introduced a new core curriculum requiring all students to complete one classroom experience focused on civic engagement, as well as one course involving community-based learning or other forms of face to face contact with marginalized communities. Through Santa Clara's Arrupe Partnerships Program, faculty members are supported in building relationships with local organizations and matching students with placements that meet course goals while also benefiting the community. Civic Engagement is also integrated into Santa Clara's Residential Learning Communities (RLCs), which link residence life with coursework and often engage students in the organization of programs related to social justice. The Kolvenbach Solidarity Program connects students with experiences at a greater distance from campus, providing extended immersion trips in the U.S. and abroad during break periods in the academic calendar. Students have become involved with homeless shelters, multilingual/ESL education programs, urban gardens, and health care agencies, among other curricular and co-curricular efforts.

 

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The College of New JerseyThe College of New Jersey (TCNJ), a public liberal-arts college in Ewing, created The Bonner Community Scholars Corps (BCSC) to advance the institution's overall civic engagement efforts while investing in individual students and promoting their development. A diverse group of 70 undergraduates identified as Bonners in high school and assisted with scholarship funding commits to serving the campus and larger community for four years. They form issue-based teams at the start of each academic year, work with community partners to identify and address unmet needs and ultimately mobilize other TCNJ students to assist. For example, BCSC students organize and motivate all freshmen as they fulfill their First-Year Community Engaged Learning (CEL) requirement through co-curricular days of service and class-based projects co-led by faculty members. CEL programs have involved hosting a youth conference, developing a database and web system for a local nonprofit, coordinating support for Haiti's post-earthquake recovery, planting a community garden on campus to provide vegetables to a local soup kitchen, and delivering writing/reflection workshops to juvenile offenders. BCSC students elevate their participation in civic engagement to the regional, national and international level by taking enrichment trips and compiling issue-briefs to inform local partner agencies about larger political developments.

 

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Wagner CollegeA private liberal arts college in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College has for the past decade worked to implement and refine its Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. The Wagner Plan emphasizes experiential learning and reflection as key elements of liberal arts and professional education. It has evolved to include a model—called Civic Innovations (CI)—for promoting mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships with community partners. Through CI, academic disciplines (Community Connected Departments or CCDs) are connected with specific local agencies (Department Connected Agencies or DCAs). They then collaborate on syllabi and outcomes for a sequence of service-learning courses. Within the Port Richmond community—an economically distressed area that has recently seen enormous growth in its immigrant population—the Civic Innovations Program has been expanded to also include a steering committee comprised of residents and college personnel. The committee has identified “clusters of need”—including health, education, environment and economy—that future strategic partnerships will seek to address in a still more coordinated way.

 

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Western Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University, located in Cullowhee, NC, is a member of the University of North Carolina system. Each academic year since 2007, a substantial majority of WCU students have engaged in curriculum-based service learning and co-curricular community service. The prominence of this kind of activity results from sustained efforts at the University to ensure that civic engagement is recognized as having academic legitimacy and is incorporated into the WCU culture. The institution has adopted the “Boyer Model” of scholarship and emphasizes the scholarship of application in its decision-making processes related to faculty rewards and promotion. WCU’s 2007 Quality Enhancement Plan articulates an expectation that students will practice civic engagement and includes developing an “Education Briefcase” – an electronic repository in which students will document their learning. The University’s Center for Service Learning develops campus–community partnerships, monitors engagement initiatives and assesses project outcomes. It hosts a yearly Symposium on Service Learning & Civic Engagement that welcomes participants from across the country. Civic engagement efforts by WCU students, faculty and staff have included planting a garden to help reduce regional food insecurity, assisting the municipality of Dillsboro with economic recovery and participating in post-hurricane revitalization efforts in nearby Canton.

2009 Recipients

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Cabrini College

A small Catholic college in suburban Philadelphia, Cabrini is committed to integrating intellectual excellence with moral and social responsibility. In 2006, it adopted a new motto—Beneficium Supra Seipsum (service beyond one’s self). It is currently implementing an innovative general education curriculum, called Justice Matters, that provides students with opportunities to become civically engaged for social justice. Through the Justice Matters curriculum, students complete four years of required coursework that allows them to grow progressively in their community engagement.  Beginning with class discussions and small community service projects, students then have the opportunity to participate in an extended service project. By year three, students begin to develop in-depth community-based research and advocacy projects.  Finally, the fourth-year capstone experience helps them apply disciplinary knowledge from their majors to solve real community challenges.  Cabrini’s local efforts have focused on an intentional partnership with the neighboring community of Norristown, which faces high poverty and an increasing immigrant population. The College worked to identify collaborative needs in the community and secure large grants to support important programs for at-risk youth and prisoner reentry. Cabrini’s global emphasis has centered on its partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and its relationship with the Missionary Sisters as a way to address the issues of food security and hunger, human migration, peace building and disease. Cabrini faculty have played a leading role in initiating the Global Solidarity Network, an on-line collaborative with CRS that allows students to interact with justice advocates around the world.

 

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Elon University

A comprehensive private university in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, Elon’s mission is to prepare civically engaged graduates who are “global citizens and informed leaders motivated by a concern for the common good.” This preparation is grounded in an ethic of service that appreciates multiple perspectives, creates opportunities that are affirming and empowering to all, and responds to the needs of Elon’s diverse communities. Civic engagement drives many curricular and co-curricular activities at the institution, but six deserve special recognition. Elon’s Kernoodle Center for Service Learning connects an impressive number of faculty members offering service learning courses with community partners to ensure that placements are appropriate to course objectives and community needs. In addition, it helps student leaders who plan, implement and evaluate service events through Elon Volunteers! (EV!). The groundbreaking Social Entrepreneurship Scholars (SES) Program links service-learning and entrepreneurship, allowing students to work intensively with local organizations to achieve objectives such as improved health of local schoolchildren. The Elon Academy helps provide access to quality education for low-income local high school students, opening the pathways to college at no cost to students and families. The Elon University Poll is widely recognized in North Carolina as a neutral, independent operation that measures issues, policies and candidate status. And lastly, since Project Pericles was initiated on campus, the Periclean Scholars program has allowed motivated students to take a series of courses culminating in a class project on local or global social change.

 

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Tennessee State University

A major urban land-grant institution and Historically Black University (HBCU) in Nashville, Tennessee State University has a rich history of public service and civic engagement reflected in its motto Think, Work, Serve. Founded in 2005, the Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (CSLCE) has coordinated and led TSU’s service and civic engagement initiatives. In addition to directly meeting with members of student organizations that engage in public service activities to encourage their volunteer efforts, the CSLCE staff holds Service-Learning Course Construction Workshops for faculty members to give them guidance on best practices as they integrate service into their courses. The CSLCE also supports faculty through providing individual consultations, visiting classrooms, strengthening community partnerships and assisting them with reflection and assessment activities. As part of its partnership-building efforts, the CSLCE holds town hall meetings, focus groups, surveys and individual interviews, ensuring that the university’s relationships with local organizations of all kinds are mutually beneficial. In order to establish long-term, sustainable projects to meet community needs, several colleges have become “engaged departments.” Through the Engaged Department Initiative, the College of Education, the College of Public Service and Urban Studies and soon the College of Heath Sciences are committing to incorporate service-learning into the curriculum and set it as a common expectation among majors. The university has been a leader in the development of Tennessee Campus Compact (TNCC) and established an AmeriCorps VISTA Project.

 

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Villanova University

A Catholic university located outside of Philadelphia, Villanova’s scholarship and community are guided by the Augustinian values of Veritas, Unitas, Caritas (Truth, Unity, Love). Civic engagement is the hallmark of academic and co-curricular life across the colleges of Engineering, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Nursing and the schools of Business and Law. For example, the Office of Service Learning within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is home to the interdisciplinary Sophomore Service Learning Community. This residential experience enriches students’ understanding of social justice issues through a combination of hands-on volunteerism and academic coursework. The School of Law offers pro bono legal aid to farm workers, refugees, and the homeless. In the co-curricular area, Villanova students provide community service in markedly higher numbers and at higher hours than national norms. On a daily basis, more than 100 students volunteer at various organizations in inner-city Philadelphia. Villanova hosts the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world. Many students, faculty and staff unite to volunteer in the Philadelphia area as part of the University's annual Day of Service. Organizationally, Villanova has a distinctive policy that “encourages full-time staff with one year of service to participate in university-sponsored trips up to a maximum of five days per academic year, with full pay and benefits and no charge to their vacation benefit.” Villanova seeks to address a multiplicity of challenges through civic engagement—including urban poverty, third world poverty, illiteracy, privilege, disability, access to legal assistance and many others.

 

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Wartburg College

A small liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa, Wartburg encourages students to “live their learning” beyond the classroom walls through engagement with both local and global communities. In 2002, Wartburg inaugurated the Discovery and Claiming our Callings initiative. Supported by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, the initiative was designed to touch every aspect of campus life by enhancing vocational discovery through leadership, service, civic engagement, mentoring and campus ministry programs. One result of the grant has been the establishment of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) in 2005. The CCE ties together the College’s civic engagement efforts by coordinating and evaluating external relationships that are effective for community partners, and it provides opportunities for student learning, vocational development and public scholarship. The CCE has become the umbrella for multiple signature programs including partnerships with many local school districts, internships completed by more than 60 percent of students, a premedical partnership with the Waverly Health Center, service-learning and service trips. The office also works to support and collaborate with other programs and initiatives on campus including AmeriCorps, Campus Ministry, Disaster Relief, First in the Nation Scholars, the Institute for Leadership Education, Student Life, the Social Entrepreneurship Minor and Wartburg West (an experiential urban learning program in Denver, Colorado).